His Perkiomen Valley squad holds a half-game lead on Spring-Ford for second place in the Pioneer Athletic Conference’s Liberty Division. And while the Rams have their league regular season completed, the Vikings have one more game left on theirs.

An enviable position ... one made even more enviable by PV’s performance Thursday against Boyertown. A 55-40 victory over the Bears fulfilled Poysden’s hopes for his club to remain in control of its postseason destiny.

“We knew we had to handle our business, and not expect others to do favors for us,” Perk Valley’s head coach said.

In a flip-flop of positions, the Vikings (8-4 league, 14-7 overall) bumped Spring-Ford (8-5) out of the Liberty second spot. They finish up Saturday against Owen J. Roberts — a win securing the division’s second berth for the upcoming Final Four playoffs, a loss offering at the worst a play-in game should both teams finish in a dead heat.

And it took a yeoman-like effort against hard-charging Boyertown (4-8, 6-15) for PV to get in that position. The contest was a two-point affair through the halfway point of the fourth quarter, when the visitors went on a 15-2 run down the stretch to nail down their 12th victory in the last 13 games.

“Boyertown is a physical team that doesn’t lay down for anybody,” Poysden said. “We knew were going to have a battle. They have a lot of shooters.”

With both teams combining for 37 first-half points, the early action focused on defense, rebounding and ballhandling. While they were fairly even on the first count — PV shot 8-for-23 from the floor, Boyertown 7-for-21 — and the Bears had a 15-11 advantage on the glass, Perk Valley rode its ball control, and disruption of the same by the Bears, to a 19-18 edge at the midway point.

“I was proud of the way our guys were on defense,” Poysden said.

The second-quarter action was marked by the hosts overtaking PV for an 18-17 lead with 20 seconds left, Mike Mansur (14 points) and Ryan Corcoran fueling an 11-2 run over a 3½ minute span. But that would be their one and only lead of the game, Brett Davis banking home a shot two seconds before the buzzer.

“Both teams were fighting,” Boyertown head coach Mike Ludwig said. “They (PV) were physical on defense, and we tried to match their intensity.”

A fourth quarter that remained pivotal through the first four minutes became a foul-shooting exhibition for the Vikings. They made 15 of 18 tries in the frame, including a 9-for-12 showing that fueled the majority of their final run.

Rasaan Stewart went 7-for-8 at the line in the fourth, en route to finishing with 14 points. Steve Leonard (game-high 16 points) had a 4-for-4 at the stripe, and Brett Davis (nine points) chipped in with 3-for-4.

“We spent time saying if it became a physical game, they were going to have to come and foul us,” Poysden noted.

“That’s the way it was to the end,” Ludwig added. “The difference in the fourth quarter was, they made their foul shots and built on their lead.”

The win was redemption for PV, which saw an 11-game win streak ended Tuesday in a 41-39 loss to Liberty leader Methacton. That same night, Spring-Ford moved ahead of the Vikings for second place with its 71-45 win over Owen J. Roberts.

“We felt like we let one slip away,” Poysden said. “The guys were extra focused on learning from that loss. We used practice to address those mistakes.

“We feel Saturday, against Owen J, we have to put our best foot forward. They shoot all over the place. We have to deserve this thing.”

NOTESAt one point in the second half, PV made 12 straight free throws without a miss. It finished the game 21-for-27. ... The Bears finished with a 26-21 lead in rebounding. ... Neither team shot above 40 percent from the floor, the Vikings 16-for-41 and Boyertown 14-for-37. ... While PV and OJR duel in one of four PAC-10 pairings Saturday, Boyertown will close out its league season against Methacton. “It’s a chance for us to go and knock out a team that’s undefeated,” Ludwig said. “The kids have to prepare and be ready.”

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